THE FORMER An Post sorting facility off William Street, recently refurbished into an exhibition space for the Galway International Arts Festival, will be the main gallery for the TULCA Festival of Visual Arts in November.
The festival, now in its 17th year, runs from Thursday October 31 to Sunday November 17, with exhibitions and events throughout Galway city, and featuring Irish artists Michael Fortune, Barry Mulholland, Una Quigley, Martina O’Brien, Day Magee, Mark Cullen, Michelle Doyle, Katherine Sankey, Rajinder Singh, Helen MacMahon, and Paul Duane; and from abroad, Anri Sala (Albania ), Diana Copperwhite (Ireland/USA ), Christian Fogarolli (Italy/Czech Republic ), and Linda Pense (Germany ). Also taking part will be the groups SUBSET and From the Bogs of Aughiska.
TULCA is being curated by Kerry Guinan and this year's theme is 'Tactical Magic' and draws on the idea of magic as a practical, or tactical, device that allows us to control our reality. "'Tactical Magic' sees art as a magical tool that allows us to access and create realities beyond our own," says Guinan.
What's on at TULCA
The festival opens at 12 noon on October 31 in the Tuam Library with The Plants, Flowers and Trees of Our People by artist and folklore collector Michael Fortune, in collaboration with the Skehana and District and Heritage Group.
The official festival launch is at 7pm November 1 in the Festival Gallery with performances by Day Magee and Mark Cullen; while at 9pm there is the Samhain Afterparty Celebration with GASH Collective in Electric.
Two all-ages show take place on November 3. There will be an all-ages curators tour of the 126 Gallery at 10.30am, and at 12 noon at Nuns Island Theatre, there will be 'An Introduction to Weather-Reading' with Nikita Coulter (booking required ).
A seminar entitled ‘Art / Magic / Marxism’ will be held in the O’Donoghue Centre, NUIG in November 7 at 2pm, with speakers Andy Merrifield, Sinead Mercier, Clodagh Emoe, and members of the Center for Tactical Magic.
Events taking place on November 9 are a curator's tour of Engage Art Studios (12 noon ); 'Keening Garden Door', a performance by Day Magee in the Festival Gallery (1pm ); and ‘What Time Is Death?’, a film screening followed by a Q&A with director Paul Duane, in the Pálás (6pm ); and a gig by black metal band From The Bogs of Aughiska at the Róisín Dubh at 8pm on November 14; and a festival closing event in the Festival Gallery, Keening Garden Door by Day Magee, at 5pm on November 17.
For more information see www.tulca.ie
